Release device for the tilting jaw of a safety ski binding



July 27, 1965 A. GEMBRUCH, JR., ETAL. 3,197,221

RELEASE DEVICE FOR THE TILTING JAW OF A SAFETY SKI BINDING Filed Dec. 5, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 23a 25 lNvENToR AlfrcJ- Ge s brush-Tun.

July 27, 1965. A. GEMBRUCH, JR., rA| l 3,197,221

FOR THE TILTINGv-JAW OF'A 'SAFETY SKI BINDING RELEASE DEVICE Filed Dec. 3, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A INVENTOR. We Gmbrvtf, n.

United States Patent O G 34,181 Ciaims. (Cl. 2550-1135) The present invention relates to a release device for the tilting jaw of a safety ski binding and, more specifically, concerns a device of the mentioned type, in which the shoe of the skier is pressed against a tiltable jaw mounted on a base plate or rail on the ski and provided with a protruding edge extending over the sole of the shoe.

The heretofore known tiltable jaws which, when a certain adjustable torque is exceeded, laterally release the shoe, have the drawback that in order to overcome the said torque, it is necessary that first a cable which is under spring tension has to be extended during a lateral spreading action in order to release the shoe while the ribs of the tiltable member which, during a swinging out operation are pressed against the front edge of the sole, circumscribe a radius and thereby do not give the shoe the necessary freedom of movement toward the front in the direction toward the ski tip. This drawback is also encountered with the so-called double-joint tiltable jaws.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a release mechanism for the tiltable jaw of a safety ski binding, which will overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a release mechanism as set forth in the preceding paragraph, in which at a slight tilting of the jaw, the slide will be released and can be moved forwardly so that the ski boot will quickly be freed without stressing the cable.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following speciiication in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a top view of a releasing device according to the present invention;

FIGURE la is a section on line Ia-Ia of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through FIGURE l taken along the line II--II of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 shows a top view of the device according to the present invention with the jaw in outwardly turned position;

FIGURE 4 is a top view of a further embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken along the line V-V of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a section taken along the line VI-VI of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 shows the arrangement of FIGURE 4 with turned-out jaw;

FIGURE 8 is a side view of the arrangement of FIG- URE 4 with turned-out jaw.

The release device according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the tilting jaw is journalled directly on a slide adjustable in longitudinal direction of the ski.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, and FIG. 1 thereof in particular, the arrangement shown therein comprises a base plate 1 having a groove or dovetailed cross-section 2' in which is slidably mounted a slide 2 carrying a tilting jaw 3 (FIGURE la). This tilting jaw ice is pivotally mounted on a pivot 2a of the slide 2 and held on slide 2 by a screw 2b. At the rear end of the tiltable jaw 3 there is provided a clamping member 4 which, by means of a screw 5 is adjustable relative to the front edge of the sole. This clamping member 4 has three ribs 4a, 4b and 4c. In contrast to the heretofore known arrangements of the type involved, according to the present invention, the intermediate rib 4a is closest to the sole edge.

The tilting jaw 3 is provided with engaging or locking means, for instance in the form of a ball 6 which is iased by a spring 7. The cover screw 8 permits adjustment of the torque. Ball 6 engages a correspondingiy shaped seat 9 in the bottom portion of slide 2. If the torque which, during a fall or the like of the skier acts through the skiers shoe upon the tiltable jaw, reaches a certain adjustable magnitude so that the thrust of spring 7 will be overcome, the tiltable jaw will tilt outwardly. As a result of this tilting movement, a pin 10 is freed which is guided in slide 2 and has its lower end engaging a recess 11 in base plate 1. This pin 10 is loaded by a spring 12 so that the pin will be pressed upwardly as soon as jaw 3 is tilted. In view of the movement of pin 1i) out of its locking recess 11, slide 2 can move forwardly in view of the action of the ski boot. In this way, the boot will be quickly freed without requiring a further tilting movement of the jaw 3. Therefore, a considerably faster release of the ski boot will be obtained than was heretofore the case.

Base plate 1 is connected to the top side of the ski in customary manner, for instance, by means of screws. Base plate 1 is additionally provided with a bottom pin 23 which extends into a groove 23a on the bottom side of slide 2, thereby limiting the possible stroke of the slide.

Referring now to the embodimentof FIGS. 4 to 8, it will be seen that base plate 1 is likewise provided with connecting holes 1c through which screws or rivets are.

passed for connecting the base plate 1 to the ski. Arranged on said base plate 1 is a slide 2c of U-shaped cross section which is guided between webs 1a`and 1b. Also in this instance, the tiltable jaw 3 is tiltable about a pivot 2a of slide 2c which is guided between the webs 1a and 1b. The tiltable jaw 3 is pivotable about pivot 2a of slide 2c and is held on said slide by screw 2b. At the rear end of the tiltable jaw 3 there is provided a clamping member 4 which is adjustable relative to the front end of the sole of the ski boot. This adjustment may be effected by means of a screw 5. Similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, also in this instance the tilting jaw 3 is provided with a ball 6 based by a spring 7. The cover screw 8 permits an adjustment of the torque. Ball 6 engages a corresponding seat 9 in slide 2c.

Slide 2c is journalled by means of the two links 13 and 14. Between the two guiding webs 1a and 1b of the base plate 1, there are provided two bolts 15 and 16 embraced by the eyes of the links 13 and 14. Between the two legs of the slide, there are likewise provided two bolts 17 and 1S so that the links will in this way be connected between base plate .1 and slide 2c. J aw 3 is held in its FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 position by a nose 19 which is mounted on base plate 1 and which is engaged by a corresponding extension 20 of the jaw.

If, during a fall or the like of the skier, a torque is exerted by the boot upon the tiltable jaw 3, and if this torque exceeds the force at which the ball 6 engages its corresponding seat 9, jaw 3 tilts outwardly as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this way, also the extension 20 of jaw 3 moves toward the side so that it is freed by nose 19. As a result thereof, also slide 2c is free and is now able to ,t a tilt toward the front in conformity with the links 13 and i4 so that the shoe will quickly be freed during a fall of the skier.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the drawing, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What We claim is:

l. A release device for use in connection with a ski binding, which includes: plate means for mounting on the top surface of a ski, said plate means being provided with guiding means, a slide slidably supported by said plate means and guided by said guiding means, said slide comprising pivot means having its axis substantially normal to the major surfaces of said plate means, clamping means pivotally supported by said slide and movable about the axis of ysaid pivot means from a normal position to a lateral position and vice versa, said guiding means extending in the longitudinal direction ofv said clamping means when the latter occupies its normal position, first locking means carried by said clamping means for engagement with said slide for normally holding said clamping means in its normal position, said iirst locking means being operable in response to a certain minimum torque exerted upon said clamping means to move into unlocking position to thereby permit said clamping means to'turn from its normal position relative to said slide about said axis, and spring biased second locking means for normally locking said slide to said plate means, said clamping means being provided with an extension for holding said second locking means in its locking position when said clamping means occupies its normal position and adapted to release said second locking means for unlocking said slide from said plate means in response to a certain turning movement of said clamping means about said axis to thereby permit said slide to move relative to said plate means.

2. A release device for use in connection with a ski binding, which includes: plate means for mounting on the top surface of a ski, supporting means linked to said plate 40 means for movement in a first direction perpendicular to the major surfaces of said plate means and also in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction, pivot means supported by said supporting means, clamping means supported by said supporting means and turnable about the axis of said pivot means from a normal position to a lateral position and vice versa, first locking means normally locking said clamping means in its normal position to said supporting means, second locking means locking said supporting means to said plate means, said tirst locking means being operable in response to a certain torque upon said clamping means to unlock the latter from said supporting means to permit said clamping means t0 move to said lateral position, said clamping means in its said normal position preventing unlocking of said second locking means and in its said lateral position releasing said second locking means to unlock said supporting means from said plate means to thereby permit said supporting means to move in said first and second directions.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, in which said supporting means is linked to said plate means by a plurality of substantially parallel links connecting said plate means and said supporting means in the manner of a paralleiogram.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, which includes guiding members connected to said plate means for laterally guiding said supporting means and for journalling said links.

5. An arrangement according to claim 3, in which said supporting means has an inverted U-shaped cross section with the .legs thereof forming the supports for said links.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,899,211 8/59 Salomon 280-1l.35

2,994,543 8/61 Hvam 280--11.35

3,037,785 6/62 DePlaCe 2230-1135 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,294,369 8/59 France.

A. HARRY LEVY, Primary Examiner. PHlLiP ARNOLD, Examiner. 

1. A RELEASE DEVICE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH A SKI BINDING, WHICH INCLUDES: PLATE MEANS FOR MOUNTING ON THE TOP SURFACE OF A SKI, SAID PLATE MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH GUIDING MEANS, A SLIDE SLIDABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID PLATE MEANS AND GUIDED BY SAID GUIDING MEANS, SAID SLIDE COMPRISING PIVOT MEANS HAVING ITS AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE MAJOR SURFACES OF SAID PLATE MEANS, CLAMPING MEANS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID SLIDE AND MOVABLE ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID PIVOT MEANS FROMA NORMAL POSITION TO A LATERAL POSITION AND VICE VERSA, SAID GUIDING MEANS EXTENDING IN THE LONGITUDIANL DIRECTION OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS WHEN THE LATTER OCCUPIES ITS NORMAL POSITION, FIRST LOCKING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CLAMPING MEANS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SLIDE FOR NORMALLY HOLDING SAID CLAMPING MEANS IN ITS NORMAL POSITION, SAID FIRST LOCKING MEANS BEING OPER- 